For about three miles of the three miles and half a furlong of the William Hill Trophy Chase, Wichita Lineman looked a very unlikely winner. “We may have given up,” said trainer Jonjo O’Neill to the owner J P McManus, “But Tony won’t have.”

And if ever perseverence paid off it did for McCoy, who was there on Wichita Lineman when the Nick Williams-trained Maljimar, having looked to have the race in the bag wilted in the final 110 yards, being caught close home to go down by a neck.

For McManus, the winner’s enclosure turned into a private party as the crowd sung “Happy Birthday” to celebrate the owner’s 58th birthday today. “What a lovely way to celebrate, it’s the biggest crowd to have ever sung happy birthday for me!” he said.

It was hardly surprising that McManus was generous with his compliments for McCoy, who had kept Wichita Lineman up to his work despite the horse being under considerable pressure from early on. “Words can’t describe his dedication to the game and his will to win, and the other side of him, his sympathetic nature. As long as he kept asking the horse, the horse kept responding to his urgings.”

Wichita Lineman was competing in his first handicap and McManus admitted that he didn’t think that the William Hill Trophy was necessarily the right race for the horse at The Festival.

“Jonjo persuaded me to go for this race. I thought the four-miler might be a better option, but in his own way he [Jonjo] wasn’t having any of it.”

Trainer Jonjo O'Neill also enthused about the jockey’s performance. “That's what McCoy is all about. He was just magic, brilliant”

“The horse made a few mistakes throughout the race which didn't help him but I knew when he gave him a few belts at the top of the hill that there was a bit left in the tank - AP wouldn't be doing that if he thought that he didn't have a chance - and I thought that they had gone a fair gallop and there was every chance that they might come back a little bit. Even going to the last I thought that he had too much to make up but he's a magic man and it's a magic horse.”

Jockey Tony McCoy said: "I knew at the bottom of the hill at the second last that there was loads left in him. I lost my pitch on the first circuit a little bit but this is Jonjo's winner, not mine.

Position

Horse
Trainer

Jockey
Weight

Starting Price
Beaten Distance

1

Wichita Lineman
Jonjo O'Neill

A P McCoy
10st 9lbs

5 - 1
Winner

2

Maljimar
Nick Williams

D Jacob
10st 5lbs

14 - 1
Neck

3

Nenuphar Collonges
A King

R Thornton
10st 9lbs

17 - 2
1/2 length

4

Dear Villez
P F Nicholls

R Walsh
11st 3lbs

16 - 1
6 lengths

5

The Sawyer
R H Buckler

W Kennedy
10st 3lbs

33 - 1
13 lengths

6

Lacdoudal
P J Hobbs

R Johnson
10st 8lbs

25 - 1
3/4 length

7

Comply Or Die
D Pipe

T J Murphy
11st 5lbs

33 - 1
4 lengths

8

Ollie Magern
N A Twiston-Davies

T Molloy
11st 5lbs

66 - 1
1 1/4 length

9

Wind Instrument
A King

W Hutchinson
10st 2lbs

16 - 1
1 1/2 length

10

Tot O'Whiskey
J M Jefferson

P Kinsella
10st 3lbs

16 - 1
1 1/4 length

11

Reveillez
Jonjo O'Neill

N Fehily
10st 13lbs

33 - 1
7 lengths

12

Golden Flight
N J Henderson

B J Geraghty
10st 12lbs

25 - 1
7 lengths

13

Oedipe
N J Henderson

A Tinkler
10st 5lbs

33 - 1
2 lengths

14

Cailin Alainn
C Byrnes

D N Russell
10st 13lbs

13 - 2
6 lengths

15

Billyvoddan
H D Daly

S E Durack
10st 6lbs

50 - 1
3 lengths

16

Possol
H D Daly

M Bradburne
10st 12lbs

7 - 1
1 3/4 length

17

Millenium Royal
F Doumen

F Keniry
11st 1lbs

10 - 1
21 lengths

na

Simon
J L Spearing

A Thornton
10st 12lbs

20 - 1

na

Patsy Hall
A J Martin

P Carberry
10st 3lbs

10 - 1

na

Fundamentalist
N A Twiston-Davies

P J Brennan
10st 12lbs

66 - 1

na

Hot Weld
Ferdy Murphy

G Lee
10st 8lbs

40 - 1

Non Runner

Lothian Falcon
P Maddison

R Walford
10st 2lbs

Non Runner

Hobbs Hill
C R Egerton

J A McCarthy
11st 0lbs

Non Runner

Star De Mohaison
P F Nicholls

R Walsh
11st 12lbs

MALJIMAR MUGGED BY McCOY

A brilliant ride by Tony McCoy meant Wichita Lineman got up in the final strides of the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase, denying Maljimar what had looked certain victory.

The Nick Williams-trained Maljimar was two lengths clear at the last, and not stopping under jockey Daryl Jacob, but McCoy’s powerful assistance meant Wichita Lineman cut into the lead and forged to the front when it mattered by a neck.

Jacob was distraught when walking back to the weighing room, while Williams said: “I thought we had that - I’m gutted. Gutted. We’ve had a year of seconditis. Cornas was just touched off [in a Grade 2 chase] at Sandown last month and that’s how it has gone.

“Daryl did nothing wrong. He had to be where he was at the last. He’d come through from the back and couldn’t have waited any longer. To me it was a perfect ride in a big, competitive handicap.”

Maljimar has not been seen in public since the Paddy Power Gold Cup at this track in November, and Williams said: “He’s had every problem under the sun - just niggly problems, mainly with his feet. I ducked out of a race in the mud at Chepstow because I didn’t want to ruin his chance for this.

“It’s ironic, neither he nor Cornas [unplaced in the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy] wanted rain, yet the horses we have later in the week wouldn’t mind it.”

Those horses include Diamond Harry, strongly-fancied for tomorrow’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, who Williams reported as: “Fine and in good shape, but we’re on a bad run, aren’t we.”

Of Maljimar he added: “He’s in the [John Smith’s] Grand National, and this race isn’t a bad stepping stone for it. He’s got 9st 11lb so he’ll need a few to come out.”

Trainer Alan King said of third-placed Nenuphar Collonges: “His jumping was very good and I was thrilled with him, he has run his race. I’ll let the owners decide where he goes next - they do a better job placing him than me!”